Digital Platform · Community Product
FilipinoFoodNearMe.org
Self-Founded · FilAm Network · 2024–Present
Situation
No comprehensive, community-driven Filipino food business directory existed in the United States. Filipino-American restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, and food trucks were scattered and hard to discover, limiting visibility for small Filipino-owned businesses and creating friction for Filipino-Americans seeking authentic cuisine.
Task
Conceive, design, build, launch, and grow the first community-driven Filipino food directory in America — from zero, with no formal engineering background, using AI-assisted workflows and self-directed learning.
Action
Founded FilipinoFoodNearMe.org and built the full platform using Next.js 14 App Router, Tailwind CSS, Vercel deployment, and Sentry monitoring — the same production-grade stack used by professional engineering teams. Developed content strategy, SEO architecture, brand identity, advertiser program, social media presence, and growth strategy.
Result
1,239+ listings across 34 states and 422+ cities — the first and only community Filipino food directory in America at this scale. Active advertiser program. Organic SEO traction. Featured in the FilAm community as a go-to resource.
What This Demonstrates
Full-stack digital product development from concept to launch — strategy, branding, UX, engineering, content, SEO, and growth — demonstrating the rare ability to both think like a marketer and build like a developer. Directly applicable to public agency digital service initiatives, private-sector product marketing, and community outreach platform development.